Page 96 of The Dark War

“Then what happens? Who takes the throne?” I implored. Father rubbed his chin, something he liked to do when he was in deep thought. The scratching of his fingertips against his beard gave me solace. Something about him being my father and the tiny white hairs that protruded from them helped me realize he was an old wolf with much experience as a king. Not many wolves had white hair, but he certainly did.

“Their child will. If”—he held up his finger—“it’s a vampire.” I scoffed, folding my arms.

“That’s so racist, though. So old-fashioned. Times have changed. The war has changed everything. People have to learn to trust again and still hanging onto old ways—”

“My sweet daughter.” He put his hand on my thigh. “You must understand. What they are doing will help the kingdom grow. It will bring it back to its rightful place. Maybe their child will be a vampire, and all will be fine, but until then, they will find an interim king and queen to take over. Once their child is old enough, then the interim king and queen will be their advisers.”

“Guess we don’t have much of a say of another kingdom, do we?” Father shook his head.

“We do not. Taliyah and Jasper have asked for a favor from you and Kane, however.” Father’s eyes twinkled. “They want you to find them two vampires that you find worthy enough to stand in their stead. Taliyah will give orders to this newly mated couple from afar. Parliament will remain clueless that the orders are coming from Taliyah.”

I tapped my lips with my finger. Raine and Dean couldn’t do it because Raine was part wolf, and I wasn’t friends with many vampires other than Dean.

Unless…

Chapter Fifty-two

Clara

“They’regreen.”Kanebentover, holding Evelyn in his arms, whispering in my ear.

The Cerulean Moon Kingdom palace wasn’t completely destroyed, but a lot of it was reduced to rubble. Our time in the Crimson Shadows pack had been extended while revisions were completed. This meant the pack house had been converted into a small palace itself.

I refused to force the unmated wolves out, there were plenty of rooms, and we weren’t going to uproot them to stay with another family. Mother, Father, and little Mikel stayed in the extensive guest cabin, trying to keep their lives quiet for once since we had officially taken over.

We were planning a small coronation party this evening. I was not planning on having anything of the sort, but my poor mother was in the corner in today’s briefing meeting, prancing around like a child trying to keep quiet. If it meant that much to her, then I would be sure to let her have her fun.

The traditional fairy lights I loved were already strewn across the courtyard. Hundreds of white chairs littered the now green lawn, the beautiful vines sprouting with exotic flowers of whites, yellows, and golds. The pixies got in on the fun and began throwing sparkle dust around the tables on the north side of the pack house.

You couldn’t even tell this place was almost reduced to nothing but black ash once the ward was taken down by Taliyah. In fact, it looked better.

“Kane, you can’t just point out someone’s skin color,” I chastised, patting his arm. “It’s a lovely shade.” I smiled at the three orcs, Sugha, Thorn, and Valpar. They had arrived an hour ago, just after spending all day traveling. They were the official representatives of the orcs, finally getting permission to bring down the walls of the Forbidden Forest. It was built far before my parents’ time, and who was to say we should continue to punish what their ancestors did or didn’t do?

“It’s an honor to meet you.” Thorn bowed so low that he almost reached the top of my head. “We’ve brought you the treaty, Queen Clara, here!” Sugha, who seemed to be the trio’s youngest, was excited to put it in my hand. We had set ourselves outside around a large circular table big enough to hold the three orcs. Kane was close to the same height in his half-beast form, but these orcs had a different kind of power.

Their bodies could absorb magic, and their physical strength was vast. It was the running ability they were lacking. Each species has a downfall in some way or another.

“And with this treaty, it is said you would help us with the ogres that wish to do anyone harm. Are you all still willing to participate in that?” They all three nodded. Their tusks that jutted from the bottom of their jaws had their lips brushed over them.

“Of course, and then the Moon Fairy will give us our mates!” Thorn banged his fist on the wooden table. The cups overturned, and they all slapped each other on the back. Evelyn glared at them, growled, and began to bang her fist on the table as Kane held her on their lap.

Oh, she’s going to be tough.

“Yes, little princess!” Thorn hammered his fist on the table again. “I also have a gift.” My eyebrow raised, watching a small club being pulled from his pocket. It was twelve inches long with small spikes at the end of it. Evelyn squealed. “Mine!” She growled, pulling it in her hands.

“Take that away from her.” I nudged Kane, but he shook his head.

“She’s my pup. She’s going to be a warrior with some tough skin.” Kane grinned proudly, giving her rocks for her to hit. I shook my head, laughing as she continued to bang the table.

“Thank you, that was an interesting gift.”

I am so going to throw that out later.

“I just want you to know,” I said softly. The severe tone of my voice caused the orcs to stop their playful banter and turn serious. “Just because we bring down the walls doesn’t mean you automatically get a mate.” They looked at each other and back to me.

“We thought as much.” Thorn grunted. “But how long? How long do we wait?”

I bit my lip, knowing they wouldn’t like the answer. It wasn’t a matter of a specific age. Of course, you had to be over eighteen, but when you came across your mate, you were never sure. Kane waited well over a hundred years for me. Raine and… Leia… were in their early twenties.

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